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tasgrs wrote:lamortefille wrote:
I agree 100% tasgrs. We’re looking to move out of NJ eventually, too.
I know I’ve seen you mention places in NJ before. What part of Jersey are you in? I’m currently in central, near Great Adventure. The area used to be nothing more than pine trees and lots of chicken farms. In the last 10 years, our property taxes have nearly doubled, and don’t get me started on how many new developments have gone in. 😡 And we’re well and septic; no city water, no sewer–no natural gas in our neighborhood–yet. No kids in the school system, volunteer fire and ambulance, and we pay for our own trash pick up. So, what’s the bang for my buck? 😛
The bright side is **for now** I can still tack up and go out the driveway and be on some dynamite trails without having to use the trailer. That was the A #1 reason we bought here 11 years ago. And truthfully, this place is more than I ever figured we’d have while we still lived in NJ. But my dream is to find a place with about 30 acres and a nice house and big barn….and GRASS!!! Have I mentioned that there is no grass here in the pinelands? 😆 Too much sandy, acidic soil. But, for now I try to be happy with what we’ve got. It’s easier than getting overly PO’d. 😆
I am south of Toms River. I hear ya about the sandy soil! If you don’t have sod, forget about grass. 🙄 😆 The “wide open” spaces are getting fewer and farther between here, too. I’m a city girl originally, but after being down her for 15 years, I’m used to peace and quiet. I want 100 acres in the South with pit bulls guarding the perimeter. 😆 That’s so cool that you have horses and nice trails to ride them on. 😀 I love being near the beaches; unfortunately nobody in my family enjoys them but me. *sigh* The ocean is just so relaxing…
I’ve seen the fuglyhorseoftheday blog. The writer sure doesn’t pull any punches. She has quite a few good points.
Has anyone watched the Derby this afternoon? I can’t understand why the TB’s are run at such a young age. What happened today just points out that they run the snot out of babies that haven’t even finished growing. 👿 😥
tasgrs wrote:I’ve seen the fuglyhorseoftheday blog. The writer sure doesn’t pull any punches. She has quite a few good points.
Has anyone watched the Derby this afternoon? I can’t understand why the TB’s are run at such a young age. What happened today just points out that they run the snot out of babies that haven’t even finished growing. 👿 😥
I agree. I am not sure why they run TB so young but I do know that every time they race they have a chance for their heart to explode with pressure. That poor filly tonight 😥
That kind of thing is why I don’t follow any kind of horse racing…They always run them young, use them up, and then toss them out, only to do it again with another horse. The horse race world really sends me the message that they view these animals as disposable, and that really offends me. An animal that under normal circumstances can live up to 25 years, destroyed in less than 2, I can’t support a sport like that.
We had two rescues at a ranch I worked for that were TB’s off the track, both were under 3 years old and had both had their front leg bones fused more than once before they just couldn’t run anymore.
Someone asked me if I wanted to breed my 3 year old QH mare, I told them in 3 more years when she was done growing, I would consider it, until then, no. I’d like to see just how big she can get without any drains on her system, I’m hoping to see her top out at about 16.5 hands, she’s already 15.1 now.
Kyrin
I wish that it had been that filly’s heart; she’d have been gone before she hit the ground. She broke BOTH front ankles, and was put down on the track. She literally ran herself to death. At least there haven’t been 50K photos of her like there were of Barbaro. I cringed every time I saw one. 😥
I worked at the track back in the late 70’s, and when I asked the trainer I worked for why they ran the horses so young, he said it was so they’d know whether or not the horse was worth the work.
I can’t tell you how many times my vet has posted TB’s FTGH after the meets are done for the season. She’s the vet for 2 of the 3 tracks here. She picked up a Northern Dancer granddaughter for nothing, simply because the filly wasn’t fast enough. I’m not a fan of the TB’s after having worked with them on the track, but they certainly deserve better.
Whoa. I had no idea these race horses were abused so much. 😯 It’s really sad. I wonder if they treat race dogs the same way. This is inhumane. 😥
purpledragonclaw wrote:Whoa. I had no idea these race horses were abused so much. 😯 It’s really sad. I wonder if they treat race dogs the same way. This is inhumane. 😥
It’s not *quite* outright abuse; as long as the horse is winning; they are fed well, have top notch vet care, and are pampered. It’s just that horses don’t physically mature until they are at least 4 years old. When you run an immature horse, their bones aren’t quite as dense as they will become at maturity, and the risk for stress fractures is higher. The stress fractures, if they aren’t caught can become outright breaks like they did today.
There are some theories that due to the fact that Thoroughbreds are considered inbred/linebred to a fair degree that they are more prone to genetic weaknesses that have now been concentrated by the tight breedings. I remember a few horses from the track that had soundness issues. We were always poulticing and wrapping legs and hand walking horses that were not sound enough to be worked.
I kind of look at the racing in the same light as child labor. It amounts to the same damned thing. 😥 Before the slaughter ban, the unlucky horses would find themselves on a trailer to the nearest auction house, where they’d end up going for meat. Now with the ban on horse slaughter for human consumption in this country, I truthfully couldn’t tell you what happens to them now. 🙁
And as far as the dogs go, there have been a lot of articles written about how they kill the ones that don’t do as well, and just dump the bodies. We don’t see as many rescue Grayhounds up here since there aren’t any local dog tracks. But I would imagine it’s close to the same thing.Don’t forget whippets too. They are also race dogs. What’s sad is you don’t see too many whippets anymore. Oh, and I just read the story about Eight Belles. That is so sad. Unfortunately it’s about money, not the animals, in the long run.
purpledragonclaw wrote:Don’t forget whippets too. They are also race dogs. What’s sad is you don’t see too many whippets anymore. Oh, and I just read the story about Eight Belles. That is so sad. Unfortunately it’s about money, not the animals, in the long run.
It is sad. These critters will give you 110%, and look what happens. And yeah…it is all about the almighty dollar.
I cry everytime I watch a race and stuff like that happens. Even with Barbaro, I’m surprised they kept him alive that long and tried to save him, considering the injuries he had. I’m glad they didn’t try the same thing with Eight Belles.
I live right by Saratoga Springs (oldest race track in the US), so I hear/see this all the time. One of my classmates’ family raises thoroughbreds for a living (Funny Cide was foaled at their farm). I do follow racing a bit (hard not to when your here). Thoroughbreds have such weak ankles. I know some calls for re-introduction of Arabian or some other blood has been called for (records in speed don’t happen much any more and it would add stability to the breed), but not enough to make it actually happen. Some trainers, vets, and owners do truly care for their horses, but there are a number in it just for the money. There is also a lot of politics involved. Some people would like to wait longer (Forego never hit his stride until he was 4 years old), but with the competitiveness and the costs involved, many race them earlier to keep with everyone else. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle and I can’t say that I agree with it. Someday, I’d like to own a horse, but it will probably not be a thoroughbred (they are so skittish – I’d have to find one that is calm).
I like Dales and Gypsy Vanners (pricey) are my favorites. I’ve never really cared for Quarter horses. I did some riding in college, but would like to do more (maybe I’ll start again this summer… I need to find out how expensive lessons are around here at the nearby farms). I know I had a friend chastize me at college when she heard I had to use a switch when I ride (she’s never been around horses). My touch was so soft that the horse I rode ignored everything I did, on top of knowing I was a newbie (Piggy was a queen bee). I got better though and didn’t have to use it as much. Oddly, I could canter better than I could trot.
You should look at either C or D Welsh cobs. They have the build of more boroque breeds and have great personalities. Some have feathers, though not as much as the Vanners and Freisians.
They are beautiful!http://www.taraco-stud.co.uk/ds.htm
Heres some more
tasgrs wrote:purpledragonclaw wrote:Whoa. I had no idea these race horses were abused so much. 😯 It’s really sad. I wonder if they treat race dogs the same way. This is inhumane. 😥
It’s not *quite* outright abuse; as long as the horse is winning; they are fed well, have top notch vet care, and are pampered. It’s just that horses don’t physically mature until they are at least 4 years old. When you run an immature horse, their bones aren’t quite as dense as they will become at maturity, and the risk for stress fractures is higher. The stress fractures, if they aren’t caught can become outright breaks like they did today.
There are some theories that due to the fact that Thoroughbreds are considered inbred/linebred to a fair degree that they are more prone to genetic weaknesses that have now been concentrated by the tight breedings. I remember a few horses from the track that had soundness issues. We were always poulticing and wrapping legs and hand walking horses that were not sound enough to be worked.
I kind of look at the racing in the same light as child labor. It amounts to the same damned thing. 😥 Before the slaughter ban, the unlucky horses would find themselves on a trailer to the nearest auction house, where they’d end up going for meat. Now with the ban on horse slaughter for human consumption in this country, I truthfully couldn’t tell you what happens to them now. 🙁
And as far as the dogs go, there have been a lot of articles written about how they kill the ones that don’t do as well, and just dump the bodies. We don’t see as many rescue Grayhounds up here since there aren’t any local dog tracks. But I would imagine it’s close to the same thing.Thanks for sharing that info. I was wondering what happened to the poor thing. 🙁 The news spouts nonsense…you can never get to the cause of these tragedies.
I’d say the abuses in greyhound racing and thoroughbred racing are about the same. The good ones are treated royally; the losers aren’t. We have both types of racing in our area. Rescue groups try to find homes for both, but there aren’t enough homes to go around. 🙁
You’re welcome; I happened to be watching the race, and caught the quick interview the channel had with the track vet.
Had she fractured only 1 ankle, they would have attempted to save her. In truth, the technology that is available now versus what was around back in the 70’s when Ruffian broke down during the match race in 1975 against a colt–I want to say it was Foolish Pleasure, but I’m not positive–is nothing short of amazing. There are more options now, but so much depends on the individual animal. Barbaro was exceptional in temperament. Most horses, and especially when they’re racing fit will not tolerate being restrained in a sling. But back in the 70’s, the best we could do was allow them to come out of the anesthesia in a padded stall, and hope like hell they wouldn’t further injure themselves when they got up for the first time coming out of the anesthesia. Now they have the horses in a sling in a warm water pool. They don’t come out of the pool until they are completely awake. But Eight Belles literally didn’t have a good leg to stand on. They couldn’t get her stabilzed enough to even move her from the track. 😥
The infusion of Arab blood would certainly be a good thing; the breed was used to create the TB’s in the first place, and the Arabs are known for their very dense bone. But the very best thing they could for the TB’s is to make it against the rules to run these horses at such an early age. At 3, the growth plates in their knees aren’t closed, because they’re still growing. We don’t even start our horses under saddle until they’re almost 4. And we xray their knees before they go into any kind of heavy work.
It’s just such a sad accident.
The Dales and the Vanners are gorgeous, but all that feathering! 😯 I love the Vanners, but I couldn’t deal with all the feathering. Part of the reason they’re so pricey is there aren’t that many of them or the Dales in the US yet.
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